


Death Haze

by demonladys



Category: THE iDOLM@STER
Genre: Anime: The iDOLM@STER Cinderella Girls, Gen, Gift Fic, Underage Drinking, i don't know what else to tag this lol
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-27
Updated: 2019-09-27
Packaged: 2020-10-29 03:22:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,315
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20789783
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/demonladys/pseuds/demonladys
Summary: Syuko takes Asuka to the most relaxing place she can think of in the dead of night.





	Death Haze

**Author's Note:**

> gift work for a friend! i'm only casually into im@s (and haven't really interacted with it in a while) so i'm not sure how well i did with the characterization, but it was fun to research and write!
> 
> CW: underage drinking.

Bathed in the empty light of the new moon, Asuka observed the night’s dwellers from far atop an office roof in the city. The edge was locked off by a chain link fence -- she clutched her fingers between chains intersecting and scanned the surroundings beneath. Few lacked the sense to wander at this hour, aside from drunkards, scammers, and rebels. Anyone else tended to keep their hands hidden and heads down, hurrying away from passersby driven by fear and twisted self-preservation.

The strings of her violet hair extensions draped down her shoulders and blended with the all-consuming shadows. What was she looking for up here? She felt most at ease watching humans from afar, and maybe she needed to clear her head. She never put that much stock into her own delusions, but sometimes she couldn’t help but get invested in the ‘vigilant guardian of the night’ persona. Though she refused the title of hero -- she was little more than a humble sage, watchful and patient, awaiting the true heroine’s arrival.

She glanced toward the sky. Clouds enveloped the stars and heaven’s light disconnected from the earth. Her arms shivered. She grabbed onto the sleeves of her jacket and dropped to her knees. Angels cried from beyond, but their voices unheard, nothing more than whispers in the abyss. “Not good. This haze has engulfed my vision.”

A creak from behind caught her attention, and from the door to the roof emerged a figure cloaked in a white shoulderless top wearing silver jewelry that glimmered through the dark. Uninvited, the indolent fox had arrived. “I shouldn’t be surprised to find you up here at this hour, but what on earth are you doing?”

How Syuko knew to search this particular nondescript office building was beyond her. “I wished to expand my understanding of this world. I wasn’t planning to descend, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“It’s bad form to go off without telling anyone, but I don’t suppose that matters much to you.” There was a sly, yet empathetic grin across what little of her face was visible. She stretched out her arm, hand open, reaching toward Asuka. “Come on, let’s talk somewhere else.”

Asuka shut her eyes and latched onto the fence, pulling herself up without hesitation. She thought herself a stubborn teenager and typically disdained taking orders from adults, but Syuko was different. Maybe thanks to that irresponsible attitude, they seemed to connect much easier than she would’ve expected. She joined the fox’s side and nodded. “Reveal to me the destination to which we journey.”

“It’s the place I go to clear my mind.”

* * *

Asuka followed Syuko through a discreet alleyway into the quaint den of intoxicated women. There was a sort of antiquated vibe to it, yet comfortable and modern -- red velvet seats and a sleek back floor created just the right atmosphere for the era. A middle-aged woman in a silk black vest and bowtie manned the counter, lit-up neon shelves behind her stacked with every variety of adults-only concoction and brew.

“Yuzu Chuhai for me, and a rum and coke for the kid,” Syuko ordered as they hunched over the bar.

The bartender took one glance at Asuka and rolled her eyes. She pulled a rounded glass from behind the wooden counter and scooped ice into it. That easy, huh? Then she pulled out a nozzle with one hand and reached for a bottle of peculiar brown-ish elixir from the shelves, merging them together to create a fizzy dark beverage right before her eyes, garnished with a wedge of lime. For Syuko’s drink, the bartender combined a few unfamiliar liquids from bottles and sprays into a steel cup with ice. She placed another tin cup on top, enclosing everything before shaking it with both hands, keeping the cups from breaking off. Each shake was aggressive, yet somehow serene. Like her own sort of art form, an expression of fury and sorrow, strength and weakness. When all was said and done, the server knocked the cups open and poured the sour mix into Syuko’s glass.

Asuka lifted her glass cautiously, curious. She shook it around and a few drops spilled from the edge as the rest whirled inside. Obviously, her mortal form had not yet reached the age for tolerating such a substance, but the fox seemed indifferent toward this. 

“Come on, drink up!” Syuko insisted, her drink already halfway vanished. Come to think of it, was she even old enough to order these?

“Adults usually say stuff like ‘maybe when you’re older’.”

Syuko chuckled. “Do they? Haha, man, what a bunch of hardasses!”

She tipped the edge over her lip and let a tiny slip pour into her mouth before swallowing. Hmm. Mmm. Ack! Spicy and sweet, unbearably sweet and carbonated. Yet bitter, too, with a hint of vanilla? She could hardly keep it down after the first sip, a stream leaked out from the bottom of her mouth. Yet despite the intolerable taste, she pushed on, downing as much as she could in the next swig. It was so gross it was almost delicious

“See? Being irresponsible is great!” The fox’s face had turned bright scarlet as she raised her empty glass, her typically respectful demeanor was nowhere to be seen. “Seconds, please!”

Had this been a test of agility, Asuka had fallen far too behind to stand a chance of catching up, still barely into her first glass. Ice grazed the skin above her lip and before she knew it, there was hardly any left. As the taste of rum seeped down her tongue, her sense of space and time grew hazy. The distance between her surroundings and her body seemed to blur and her inhibitions seemed to slip away. She slammed the glass back down against the wood and growled. “Another…” she begged, disgruntled.

Syuko tried to interrupt, “Hey, I never said I’d pay for more!” But the next glass was already halfway full.

Guilt struck, but only for a brief second before her mind turned to something else. “Heavenly fox, I don’t understand you,” she blurted out without a second thought.

“Aw, you’re sweet.”

That nonchalant response set off her curiosity, as well as a tiny sliver of irritation. “You’re always going around smiling, but you really don’t smile.”

“Yeah? Tell me something I don’t know.” Syuko was a giggling mess at this point, like she was almost amused by the sudden interrogation.

“Uuuu…” Asuka tried to think, but the fog in her mind overpowered anything rational she could sort through. “Stuff bothers you, like, a lot, right? You’re not just fine with living in exile?”

“Haha, of course I’m not! But my parents can’t know that. Fuck ‘em!” Syuko’s face was red as the crimson moon, her face rested on her chin as she finished what remained of her second glass. Asuka probably wasn’t fairing much better, the rum’s spice mixed in with the heat flowing through her forehead and cheeks. Syuko teased, “I’m flattered, you think about me so much. You’re always off in the corner brooding like you don’t give a shit about anyone, but you’re actually paying attention to all of us!”

“Aaaaaah…” If this were any other situation, that would’ve been a huge blow to the angsty teen facade Asuka always kept up. But like, it’s inconsequential anyway. This hidden lair of the hammered, seemingly indifferent toward the land’s laws, turned her heart into an open book. Masks fell off, and communication became an art of its own shared over bitter potion. Not that she ever wanted to get used to this -- addiction was the last thing a troubled young soul needed in her life -- but there was an unexpected, alluring kind of comfort in the mist covering her memories, the inviting death haze clouding her judgment. A new perspective, perhaps? Regardless, its presence was not unwelcome. For now at least.

**Author's Note:**

> ((dont ask why they let asuka in i didnt want to come up with an actual excuse))


End file.
